This invention relates to a tool for evenly spacing units of bricks or other construction materials from adjacent units. More specifically, this invention relates to a flexible sheath or sleeve that is worn over the index finger of one hand and that contains an integral solid block molded onto the end of the finger cavity which is inserted between two bricks for correctly positioning them apart.
The building of walls with block and mortar is a demanding labor requiring great skill and experience. The brick mason continually strives to place each brick the same height above the row below and to space each brick the same distance apart from the adjacent one. Usually, a spacer of the desired thickness is used to accomplish the repetitive placing of adjacent brick.
Time is of the essence and the faster the brick mason can work the more financially rewarding his endeavors will be. However, speed must never be sacrificed for accuracy and various means have been employed in the past to properly and quickly position the bricks. The brick mason almost always employs a spacer to be inserted between two bricks to obtain the proper spacing. While one hand holds a trowel and is used to apply mortar to the wall, the other hand grasps the brick and positions it in the proper location. As a result, no "third hand" is available to work or use the spacer unless the trowel is put down. It is obviously desirable, therefore, to have both hands "free" to continually and repetitiously apply mortar with one hand and place the bricks with the other hand.
The present invention provides a method of spacing bricks while at the same time allowing both hands to be "free". The invention is a tool that consists of a flexible rubber sleeve which slides over the index finger of a mason's hand and is frictionally retained in place. A solid block spacing member is integrally molded to the end of the sleeve and extends downwardly at 90.degree. to the axis of the finger. The block or spacer has flat, substantially parallel front and rear surfaces that abut the parallel facing end of two adjacent bricks and separate them by the thickness of the block. Since the tool is worn on the mason's finger, the block-placing hand now performs two functions smoothly and efficiently at the same time.
Most experienced masons either visually spaced adjacent bricks, thus estimating the proper distance between the bricks without the assistance of a spacing tool, or use their index finger to perform the spacing function by grasping the brick in their left hand such that the last knuckle of the finger extends over the end of the brick and can be used to "feel" the adjacent brick. Use of an index finger to provide brick spacing exposes the mason's skin to caustic mortar and to potential injury. Recognizing these risks, spacing tools have also been used; for example, a spacing device has been incorporated into the end of a trowel as disclosed in the Rickey patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,290,712. This design, however, requires that the trowel be cleared of any mortar and then turned on end to insert the spacer between the blocks.
The present invention is a distinct departure and improvement over the prior art. A mason's left hand, which for a right-handed person is used to position the next brick to be laid, can now be utilized to perform two functions instead of only one, and the right hand is free at all times to manipulate the trowel. A brick can be placed and spaced in a single motion, and the trowel hand can scrape away or apply mortar as needed. The brick mason can operate more quickly and effectively and with greater precision.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for enabling a brick mason to quickly and accurately lay adjacent bricks with a precise desired spacing. It is a further object of the invention to provide a bricklayer's spacing tool which is simple and easy to manufacture, and which is automatically adaptable to fit a user's index finger regardless of size. It is still a further object of the invention to provide a sheath or sleeve mountable on a mason's index finger which provides an integral spacing tool and also protects the mason's finger from damage or injury. These and other objects are provided by the spacing tool of the invention, a preferred embodiment of which is subsequently described herein.